Global banks bolster Japan debt teams as bond issuance booms

Global financial institutions are expanding their debt capital market teams in Japan to tap rising fundraising demand driven by M&A and AI investment. | BLOOMBERG

Oct 9, 2026

Global financial institutions are beefing up their debt capital market teams in Japan, hiring bankers and relocating staff, to capture a boom in fundraising driven by mergers, acquisitions, and artificial intelligence capital.

In July, Goldman Sachs Securities hired Dai Kitatani, former head of debt capital markets at Citigroup Global Markets Japan, as head of DCM operations, and UBS Securities appointed Takehiro Sakuramoto, formerly of Goldman Sachs, as its first dedicated DCM head in four years.

At UBS, the DCM head role had been held concurrently by a banker covering financial institutions for the past four years. Sakuramoto’s appointment marks the return of a dedicated DCM head as the firm steps up its focus on debt capital markets.

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